Having A Baby Isn't Blissful For All New Mothers

For many women, the lovely images of life with a new baby don’t jive
with their reality. Instead of feeling happy, they feel overwhelmed.

UNH researcher Kathleen Kendall-Tackett says there are a myriad of treatments
available to new mothers experiencing postpartum depression. She is the author
of a new monograph, “Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Depression in
New Mothers” (2008, Hale Publishing).

May 2008 has been designated “Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Awareness Month” by New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch.

Postpartum mood, anxiety and thought disorders -- often referred to simply
as postpartum depression -- affect 10 percent to 20 percent of pregnant and
postpartum women as well as their children and partners. Kendall-Tackett’s
research shows that in high-risk populations, that percentage can be as high
as 40 percent to 50 percent.

“The consequences of postpartum depression are simply too serious to
ignore. We can’t just hope that it will resolve or go away on its own,” Kendall-Tackett
says. “Depression is also potentially quite harmful for babies. Children
of depressed mothers have more social, behavioral, and cognitive difficulties
than their counterparts with non-depressed mothers.”

There are a wide range of non-drug treatments that are effective even with
major depression. And all are compatible with breastfeeding. In her new monograph,
Kendall-Tackett reviews evidence supporting:

Omega-3 fatty acids

Bright light therapy

Exercise

Social support

Psychotherapy

St. John’s Wort

“Depression in new mothers needs to be treated promptly. For mothers
who refuse antidepressants or for whom antidepressants may be inappropriate,
we have more evidence-based, non-pharmaceutical options than ever before,” Kendall-Tackett
says. “And because all of these choices are compatible with breastfeeding,
mothers are never forced to choose between their mental health and breastfeeding
their babies — a choice no mother should have to make.”

Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist at UNH and researcher at the UNH
Family Research Lab. She chairs the New Hampshire Breastfeeding Taskforce and
is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Her current research
interests include the impact of maternal depression and the psychological aspects
of breastfeeding.